QB class in session for Keenum

Case Keenum is busy working on the finer points of quarterbacking with guru Jerry Rhome. (Patric Schneider/For the Chronicle)

The NFL draft is still about three months away but Houston quarterback Case Keenum is busy preparing for his future.

Keenum, the senior quarterback who rewrote the NCAA record books while with the Cougars, has been working out in recent weeks in anticipation of the draft and on Monday, began his first day of work with former NFL player and coach Jerry Rhome, a renowned quarterback guru.

Rhome, who was an NFL quarterback from 1965-71 and coached in the NFL for 25 years (mostly as a quarterbacks coach), worked out with Keenum twice on Monday at Plex in Stafford. Keenum hopes to draw a lot from the wealth of knowledge and experience that Rhome has.

“He’s been around a long time and he’s on the other side of it,” Keenum said. “I’m just coming into it all. He’s been around and he knows what it’s like, what I’m going through. He’s been through this process numerous times with a bunch of guys. It’s been good. I’m just trying to soak everything in.”

Rhome has worked with numerous NFL quarterbacks over the years, including 14 Pro Bowlers and 11 who made it to the Super Bowl, including three Super Bowl MVPs. Rhome also worked with former UH quarterback Kevin Kolb prior to the 2007 NFL draft and former TCU and Katy High School quarterback Andy Dalton before last year’s draft.

Rhome said Keenum reminds him a lot of Dalton, who was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round with the 35th overall pick in the 2011 draft and just completed a solid rookie season, leading the Bengals to the AFC playoffs while throwing for 3,398 yards and 20 touchdowns.

“He reminds me of Andy Dalton,” Rhome said. “Just like him….As far as quickness, accuracy and awareness and just having a smile on his face, he reminds me of Andy Dalton.”

I’ll have a story in the Chronicle later this week with more on Keenum and his workouts with Rhome and draft preparations.

39 Responses

You are only motivating Case to prove the doubters wrong…that goes to Cougar Hye and the others…Good luck to you Case. If things don’t go well, don’t freak out..you can go the Kliff Kingsbury route and become a great coordinator or head coach (I hope you become an NFL great)

If he goes in the fourth he’ll go two rounds earlier than Tom Brady did. I don’t care WHERE he gets drafted as much as by WHOM he gets drafted. I hope he goes to a franchise where he will have the opportuntity to at least stick around a few seasons before eventually getting a real shot.

To all the CK fans here… I don’t know why y’all take so much offense when someone suggests that CK is going on the second day. He has a lot to prove with regard to being a NFL QB. He lacks height and arm strength. Does that mean he won’t/can’t be a legit NFL QB? Not at all, but the scouts and coaches who draft players are not going to take a flyer on the guy just because he had such a great college career. Relax. Let things play out. Perhaps CK will be a great NFL QB, and perhaps not. What he does from this point forward will not diminish what he accomplished at UH.

There will always be trolls coming in here taking shots at our team and players. Suggesting that CK will go in the fourth round is NOT a cheap shot. That’s where he might actually go. To me the only worse than these morons who come in here just to stir the pot, is fans who will defend UH beyond reason and reality.

His name was Arian Foster and The entire defensive unit it wasn’t Yates so give it a break. Yates played okay but he is just a backup which is what Keenum will be but neither is Andy Dalton sorry besides Keenum doesn’t have a strong arm, but just because he was drafted near where Brady was drafted doesn’t mean he is going to be Tom Brady like Iam an alum as well but give it break please.

It doesn’t matter which round Keenum ends up being selected; if he gets a chance to show what he can do, there is no doubt that he will have work in the NFL. BTW that Tillman kid looks good. Let’s hope he makes it official on 2-1-12.

Most predictions I have seen have Luck, Griffin, and Tannehill all going in the 1st round (Tannehill as the third QB selected could go high in the 2nd round), and with Case the 13th QB selected and in the 5th round (maybe 4th round).

CBS Sports has Case going as player 260 selected in the draft, and the 13th QB selected.

From statesman.com:
“Mack Brown’s worth every penny of his new nine-year contract, paying him $5.3 million next season. Texas could legitimately pay Mack twice that, given its profit margin.
Forget for a second his 13-12 record the past two years, and that he’s won only two Big 12 football titles. As a business decision, his contract extension last week underscored the financial godsend that Brown has been in his 14 seasons. Texas grossed in excess of $100 million this past season, again a national best, after bringing in $94 million in the 5-7 season in 2010, $69 million of which was profit.”

Since UT is doing so well financially, I suggest they return all of the Permanent University Fund they get from the State of Texas (mostly oil and gas revenue) to other state schools like Texas Tech and UH that do not receive such funds. But that would help level the playing field, wouldn’t it?

A lot of us will really be watching for Case’s progress these next six months. Hope you can set up a situation where you can get reports from training camp, maybe you can even get the Chronicle to pay your way there and give some reports from camp.

Boy, Case is looking a little snarley in that picture. Got his game face on.

As recruiting day approaches, and all the hype grows, I thought that a little perspective might be in order. UH looks like it is going to get a load of 3-star athletes, probably the most in the program’s history. And that is great. (By the way, Rice is signing 11 3-star athletes according to Rivals.com.) But in all this we must keep our perspective. Below is just a partial list of the 2-star athletes UH has signed in the past 6 years or so. It is by no means complete, but just imagine where this program would be without the contributions of these young men:

I think Case will be appreciated by some NFL team and prove himself. Off the subject….is UH going to have a full time strength/conditioning coach on board? It seems like this would be an important position. Don’t see it as yet.